Perkins was one of the team leaders, and his performances had been one of the few bright spots during a hugely disappointing season. But the Timbers say they have improved the position with the acquisition of Ricketts.

"It's an upgrade," said Gavin Wilkinson, Timbers general manager and interim coach. "Ricketts is a very good professional, a great person, and in my mind, a great goalkeeper."

The move to trade Perkins could be the first of a number of roster moves before and after the end of the season. The Timbers currently sit in last place in the Western Conference, trailing fifth-place Los Angeles by 13 points for the final playoff spot with 12 games to play. It's highly unlikely the Timbers will make the playoffs, and with a new coach coming in, changes are likely.

"You know at any point, no matter if you're the highest guy on the totem pole or the lowest, you can be moved and shipped out, just like that," Jewsbury said. "We all realize that at any point it can happen."

View full sizeThomas Boyd/The OregonianTroy Perkins was one of the Timbers' team leaders.

The decision to trade Perkins could also be a sign that the Timbers are close to hiring a new head coach. Many first-year coaches -- notably Vancouver's Martin Rennie -- have been known to shake up rosters to assemble a group that more closely mirrors their philosophy and style of play.

Wilkinson said the trade not only represented an upgrade at the position, but the team didn't take a hit on the salary cap after Montreal agreed to pay an undisclosed portion of Ricketts' annual salary of $275,000 (total compensation) for the next two seasons.

"He is not going to hit our cap for any more than what Troy hit our cap for," Wilkinson said. "When you start to look at making a business decision and what's right for the organization -- both short term and the immediate future, it's a very good decision for us."

Wilkinson added that bringing in the 35-year-old Ricketts will open playing time for young backups Jake Gleeson and Joe Bendik. Wilkinson said he hopes Gleeson, who returned to training Tuesday from national team duty with New Zealand in the Olympics, will start before the season ends.

"Ricketts accepts that he's a mentor for those two," Wilkinson said. "One day one of those two is going to surpass where he is. Looking at Jake and looking at Joe, we have the confidence that one of those two is going to develop into a starting goalkeeper within the next two years."

The 6-foot-4 Ricketts, a native of Jamaica, is in his fourth MLS season, having played the first 2 1/2 seasons in Los Angeles before he was traded to Montreal just days after the Galaxy won the MLS Cup championship in November.

Ricketts had started in all 24 of his appearances with Montreal in 2012, helping the expansion Impact close to within five points of fifth-place Chicago in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Impact have conceded an MLS-high 43 goals and Ricketts' 1.64 goals-against average ranks near the bottom of the league this season.

Ricketts has appeared in seven playoff games and was part of the Galaxy's MLS championship run in 2011, though he had lost his position in the starting 11 to Josh Saunders by the time the Galaxy defeated Houston in the MLS Cup championship game. Ricketts also helped the Galaxy win the regular season title in 2010 and 2011, and was selected as the league's Goalkeeper of the Year in MLS in 2010 after he established a team record with a 0.90 goals-against average and tied a team record with 11 shutouts. He was selected as an MLS All-Star in 2009 and 2010.

A veteran of seven MLS seasons who turned 31 on July 29, Perkins had started all 22 games for the Timbers in 2012, playing 90 minutes in each game except April 28 at Montreal, when he came out after a collision with the Impact's Sanna Nyassi in the 67th minute.

Perkins appeared in 51 matches for Portland, compiling 12 shutouts, 157 saves, a 1.44 goals-against average and a 14-23-13 record. Perkins, who the 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, joined the Timbers on Dec. 17, 2010, in a trade with D.C. United.